Today, On 3rd February, The Supreme Court firmly urged High Courts to stop reserving judgments for long periods without timely delivery or publication. Calling the delay an identifiable ailment that must end, the Court stressed the need to protect consumers of justice.
In a firm address to High Courts nationwide, the Supreme Court emphasized the need for judges to abandon the practice of reserving judgments without promptly delivering or publishing them for extended periods.
A Bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi stated that such delays are unacceptable and detrimental to the pursuit of justice.
CJI Kant remarked,
“We have broadly two types of judges. One is the hardworking judge who will hear everybody and reserve 10-15 matters even. There are some judges who after this (hearings), don’t deliver the judgments. We are not on anyone individually. This is a challenge before the judiciary and this is an identifiable ailment and it needs to end. It cannot be allowed to spread more for interest of consumers of justice,”
The Court’s comments followed a discussion regarding an application that highlighted delays in the posting of a High Court judgment.
The application pointed out that a ruling from the Jharkhand High Court, delivered in December 2025, had yet to be made available on its website or shared with the litigant’s attorney.
Representing the applicant, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, stated,
“Some message has to go. This is playing with majesty of law,”
The Supreme Court concurred and noted another concerning trend where judges keep cases pending for further directives.
CJI Kant commented,
“There is another trend. . . where arguments are done. It is again posted for further directions. Again, a ceremony happens where parties appear. Again, some arguments and then again ‘post for next date,'”
Rohatgi noted that such practices undermine the integrity of the judicial system.
Suggesting that his client believed the High Court’s decision was a reaction to his earlier visit to the Supreme Court, he added,
“Why reserve matters when you cannot deliver judgments? This trend of posting for clarifications etc. needs to stop. Some direction has to go to the High Courts,”
The CJI noted that litigants are often left with many apprehensions. He stated that the delay issue would be addressed with High Court Chief Justices during a meeting scheduled for this weekend.
The CJI expressed,
“On February 7 and February 8, we are meeting all High Court Chief Justices. We will discuss this among other agendas. We will try to find a solution so that such avoidable litigation ends,”
CJI Kant, who previously served as a judge on the Punjab and Haryana High Court and as Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, also mentioned that he and his colleagues consistently delivered judgments within three months of concluding arguments.
CJI Kant stated,
“In my 15 years as a High Court judge, never ever did we reserve a judgment and not deliver judgment within three months,”
Following their discussion, the Court directed the Jharkhand High Court to ensure the judgment referenced in the application is made available by the end of the week.
The Court ordered,
“We have impressed upon the counsel appearing for the High Court that there is no rhyme or reason for such delay. Let a completed judgment be provided to the counsel by the end of this week,”
In November 2025, the Supreme Court had instructed High Courts to submit reports detailing the timelines for their judgments, including when cases were reserved, the dates of pronouncement, and when they were uploaded onto their respective websites.
The top court has been monitoring adherence to its prior directive requiring all High Courts to clearly indicate three essential dates in every certified copy of their judgments: the reservation date, the pronouncement date, and the uploading date on the court’s website.
Each High Court was instructed to provide:
- The existing procedure for making public the dates of reservation, pronouncement, and uploading of judgments;
- Details of all judgments reserved after January 31, 2025, including their pronouncement and uploading dates up to October 31, 2025; and
- Suggestions for standardizing the format and enhancing disclosure practices.
Today, the Court directed that the matter be scheduled for further directions next week.
It concluded,
“Post this next to next Monday. We will issue some directions on the comprehensive need for SOP etc., for this,”